Slow Surrender Lib/E (Struck by Lightning Series Lib/E)

Struck by Lightning #1

by Cecilia Tan

He pushes her sexual boundaries . . .

From the moment waitress Karina meets him in a New York bar, she knows James is different. Daring. Dominating. Though he hides his true identity from her, the mysterious, wealthy businessman anticipates her every desire and fulfills her secret fantasies. Awakened by his touch, Karina discovers a wild side she hadn't known existed and nothing is off limits.

She aches for more . . .

What begins as an erotic game soon escalates to a power play that blurs the line between pleasure and pain. Even as she capitulates to James's sensual demands, Karina craves more. She wants his heart, his soul. She wants his love . . . and she'll break all the rules to get it.

Genres: Romance, Erotica, BDSM, Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Contemporary

Audio CD

First published March 5, 2013

About the author

Susie Bright says, "Cecilia Tan is simply one of the most important writers, editors, and innovators in contemporary American erotic literature." Since the publication of Telepaths Don't Need Safewords in 1992, she has been on the cutting edge of the erotic form, often combining elements of fantasy and science fiction in her work. She is also founder and editor of Circlet Press.

RT Book Reviews awarded her Career Achievement in Erotic Romance in 2015 and her novel Slow Surrender (Hachette/Forever, 2013) won the RT Reviewers Choice Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence from GRW in 2013. She has been publishing Daron's Guitar Chronicles as a web serial since 2009 and her Secrets of a Rock Star series (Taking the Lead, Wild Licks, Hard Rhythm) is published by Hachette/Forever. In 2018 Tor Books will launch her urban fantasy/paranormal series, The Vanished Chronicles. In her other life, Cecilia is also the editor of the Baseball Research Journal and publications director for SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research.

Reviews

[Alexis Hall]

Another old review dug out of the depths of the internet.

I’m always really wary about reviews that begin with “I don’t like genre/subgenre [x]” like it’s a badge of honour. It inevitably leads to the reviewer making trite observations about what are probably quite sophisticated tropes, and winding up with a comment along the lines of “I’d have enjoyed this romance a lot if the central couple hadn’t got together at the end” or “This space opera would have been so much better if it hadn’t been set in space.”

Nevertheless, I feel I can’t really talk about Cecilia Tan’s Slow Surrender without first offering this bit of context: of all the subgenres of romance I’ve encountered, the one that appeals to me least is the one I think of as Billionaire & Human Female, books where the hero is some kind of tormented, maverick genius billionaire, and the heroine is, well, a human female, and often seems to have no distinctive features beyond this. Fifty Shades of Grey kind of typifies the subgenre for me. That said, this is entirely personal taste. There’s nothing wrong with B&HF, and, if it’s your kind of thing, then I suspect you’ve probably already read Slow Surrender. If not, you should. You’ll like it. See you later.

However, if B&HF is not your preferred subgenre then this review is for you, because you should read this book too. Books that explicitly and self-consciously interact with their genre can be quite difficult artefacts. Deconstructing tropes is all very well, but it can leave you with nothing more than dust on the floor, and internalised critique is only meaningful to a reader if you already agree with the criticisms being made. Also it tends to place the author outside the text they’re writing, which can be quite alienating. Slow Surrender, however, navigates this complicated territory expertly, managing to both engage with and represent its subgenre. To me it felt very much as though it enjoyed, and respected, the fantasy elements of B&HF, while gently challenging some of its more troubling aspects.

Of course, a large part of the reason Slow Surrender worked for me, when pretty much nothing else in this subgenre does, is that it felt like a lot of the things that annoy me about B&HF were specifically and very directly being addressed, and this is largely what shaped my response to the text. Honestly, it gave me warm and gleeful fuzzies, because it felt like me and Slow Surrender were in the pub together, and I’d be all like “you know what really bugs me” and Slow Surrender would put down its pint, and go “totally, because I’m about six steps ahead of you, and I’ve already fixed it.”

The plot of Slow Surrender is pretty simple in terms of actual events, although it’s also an intense emotional and sexual journey. The book opens with the heroine, Karina (who is actually a PhD student), filling in as a waitress at her sister’s restaurant. She meets a mysterious man who offers her a marble and an invitation to a sexual game. Aaaand, that’s it. Expect lots of kinky adventures, including shibari, exhibitionism, pain play, orgasm denial and general boundary pushing, deep conversations about sex, desire, and freedom, and a mystery surrounding the identity of the hero, which is pretty obvious to a reader because of the narrative context, but doesn’t make Karina look like an idiot for not getting it. There’s also various side characters who exist for reasons other than to make the heroine look good, and Karina has genuinely affectionate and meaningful relationships with people besides the hero. Win win win win win.

In case it’s not obvious, I have all the enthusiasm for Slow Surrender. It’s a thoughtful book, and at the same time a fun one – which is a difficult balance to strike, I think, but so delightful when it works. I probably can’t entangle all the ways it’s clever and interesting, but here are some of the ways it really worked for me in terms of the B&HF subgenre. Basically, my main difficulties with these sort of stories fall broadly into three categories.

Problem Numero Uno: The Human Female

While I recognise that issues of empathy, placeholding and identification are very complex and very subjective, I’ve discovered I tend to be a heroine focused romance reader. I don’t particularly identify with heroes (because they’re kind of doofusy), and I rarely fancy them (see previous), so this leaves the poor heroine bearing the full weight of my interest, sympathy and attraction. Unfortunately, I tend to find the heroines of B&HF kind of uninteresting, despite the layer of “feisty” that is usually spread across their blandness like an insufficient quantity of buttercream over a badly baked sponge cake. This leaves the central premise of the book – that Billionaire would be utterly emotionally, intellectually and sexually obsessed with Human Female – a little bit incomprehensible to me.

Karina is not like this at all. She read to me like a fully-rounded person, someone I would be really thrilled to be friends with, or, you know, perform a variety of kinky activities with. She’s not feisty, she’s genuinely adventurous and bold, all the more so because she deliberately chooses to push and challenge herself. She’s open to experiences, willing to take chances, but not risks, and she certainly doesn’t put up with any bullshit:

I decided to test him out a little, though. “I’ll play if you’ll answer a question.”

He smiled. “Name it,” he said, imitating me perfectly.

“Tell me why a wealthy, well-dressed man like yourself is drinking alone.”

“You mean, am I here fleeing a harridan wife or escaping my supermodel girlfriend?”

I shook a finger at him. “No answering a question with a question, mister. That’s rude.”

The other thing I found really refreshing about Karina is that while her sex games with the hero (James) naturally create a push-pull dynamic, there’s never any doubt that Karina is there because she wants it, and she’s chosen it, and she’s having a really fantastic time. She’s an enthusiastic participant in everything they do, even when she’s allowed James to do something with her that leaves her exposed or helpless or vulnerable. Her submission to him is active – physically, emotionally, intellectually - which is, uh, cough, sexy as hell.

Where was I?

Oh, and while Karina is great – honestly great, on my list of romance heroines I’d totally want to go out with – part of it lies in the way she’s quite an “ordinary” person. I use the word “ordinary” advisedly because I’m occasionally quite troubled by the way ideas of ordinariness interact with the gender dynamics of the B&HF genre, but Karina is ordinary in a specific and detailed way. She feels like someone you could meet, or someone you could know, but at the same time is uniquely herself, a character, not just a Human Female, right down to her occasional gawkiness, her inability to put stockings on, and her love of bad puns. She’s a little bit insecure sometimes, she makes mistakes, she doesn’t naturally triumph over all adversity (there’s an on-going issue of sexual harassment in her department she’s unable to resolve), and she’s occasionally just a bit rubbish in this lowkey, recognisably human way. Like there’s this conversation with her Chinese housemate:

“So you are Chinese!”

“Yeah, I am. Didn’t you know that?”

“I wasn’t sure which nationality you were.”

“You could’ve asked, you know.”

“I didn’t want to be rude…”

“So it was better to be confused?”

Problem Two: The Billionaire

Again, this is pretty personal and mileage may vary, but I generally find Billionaire-type heroes to be complete tossbuckets. And maybe it’s just me, but I feel quite strongly that ideal person to stand over you wielding an implement while you’re naked and helpless is absolutely not a complete tossbucket.

James is not a complete tossbucket. He seems to have an actual personality, and hobbies beyond stalking and/or trying to put his dick in the heroine I’m not in any position to judge but, to me, he comes across as someone you might conceivably trust to play sexual trust games with. He’s not pushy, or threatening ever, and he’s genuinely careful to make sure Karina feels safe with him. He is, of course, sexually dominant and to a degree dominant in their interactions because he sets and controls their games, but he’s never a dickhead about it. Usually he’s terribly, terribly polite, and I genuinely appreciated a portrayal of male dominance that wasn’t stompy or psychotic. That struck me as genuinely attractive. I suppose, if I wanted to say something glib, I could say he’s basically a beta dom, but that doesn’t quite do justice to his characterisation.

The other thing I liked about him is that he’s not an infallible master of circumstance – occasionally something interferes with their activities, because engineering kinky sex games isn’t an exact science, and they deal with it:

“I apologize for my error in judgment,” he said, a bit of a quaver in his voice. “I would’ve liked to watch you walk the entire block very much.”

“Yes, well,” I said, because I felt I had to say something, “that’s New York. Never know when you’re going to hit traffic.”

Problem the Third: The Sexing

This is kind of a symptom more than a problem, arising from problems one and two. Given that B&HF is a very sexually charged and sexually driven genre, I personally don’t quite know how to invest in a tossbucket and a badly baked sponge cake getting each other off. I mean, dominating her would be like trying to dominate a piece of damp spaghetti and I wouldn’t trust him to open a tin of beans – yet, somehow, there they are, having what is apparently hot and fulfilling kinky sex. And while I could probably not-entirely-willingly suspend my disbelief, what I really can’t get my head around is that the sex never seems very ... well ... fun. In erotic romance especially, sex is as important to the story as plot and character. It’s how these people communicate. But it often feels to me that as soon as the word “kinky” gets applied to a sex scene, then suddenly it becomes this “other” type of sex that becomes divorced from all the other reasons you might normally choose to have sex with someone: desire, attraction, loneliness, tenderness, joy, connection, vulnerability.
This is, err, not an issue in Slow Surrender. It is the very opposite of an issue. Because I genuinely liked (and could comfortably envisage being interested enough to bonk) both Karina and James, their mutual attraction made perfect sense to me, and consequently their erotic encounters were, y’know, emotionally satisfying and interesting to read about. They also seem to be having a lot of fun together. Something I particularly appreciated about Slow Surrender was – even though they’re often quite intense – a lot of what they do together is saturated with a sense of play. There’s an extent to which I probably just got lucky in the book being well-suited to, uh, what I think about things, but I’m huge believer in the impact, and importance of play in adult life, and Slow Surrender embraces those ideas so wholeheartedly it was impossible for me not to be completely in love with it. Fairytales are a very explicit theme, and so there’s a lot of performance, and playacting, and dressing up, and storytelling in their relationship, but I was just really enchanted to read a book that depicted kinky sex with such whimsy and joy. Sometimes they’re even laughing at their own game:

He chuckled. “I’m tempted to, but no. Even seeing my cock is a privilege you will have to earn.”

“Really?” I sat up a bit straighter, trying to wrap my head around the idea. A man whose number-one goal wasn’t to get off was still a foreign concept to me. “Is it that gorgeous? Or is it deformed or something?”

One of the other things that worked for me (and, let’s face it, there were many) was the mutuality and the reciprocality of their relationship. I mentioned above how marvellously active Karina’s sexual submission is but, far from being a stereotypical icedom, James is as much made vulnerable by his desires as Karina is. It’s personal taste but, while I entirely support its legitimacy, I absolutely don’t get the fantasy of the apparently indifferent partner, as you squirm around in exquisite sexual agony. I could see it might give an extra frisson, but, for me, if I was going to go to all that trouble, I’d want to be damn sure the other person was visibly getting off on it.
While James spends a lot of the book controlling his own desires, or rather expressing them through Karina’s, his fascination with her, and his reactions to her are never in doubt. Nor is the fact that they are both revealing themselves, and surrendering to each other. There’s a really lovely scene in the middle of the book, where Karina kisses James’ feet after sex:

His feet were more slender than I expected, and on a whim I bent down and kissed them. His breath caught. I kissed one, planting a short line of kisses from his toes toward his ankle, and then went down the other instep from ankle to toes. I raised my head slowly then, letting my eyes travel up his legs to his… and then my breath caught. He was rampant, his cock jutting out from his pubic hair. Having his feet kissed aroused him that much? I looked up at him as I pressed one almost-chaste peck on the tip of it and saw that he was biting his lip.

I can think of about a gazillion ways something like this could seem either passive or debasing, or just intersect really, really problematically with gendered power dynamics. It’s just my take, but I felt it really worked in this book, for these characters. It’s edged with their usual sense of play (when Karina finishes, she makes a joke about King Cophetua and the beggar maid), James is clearly annihilatingly romanced by it (cos, hell, who wouldn’t be) and – as ever – it’s Karina’s choice, and she’s absolutely in control of that choice.

Slow Surrender is very explicitly an exploration of power and sex and stories. Occasionally, I found it strayed very close to didacticism – but, again, mileage may vary. I think anything can feel didactic if it’s expressing ideas you’re already familiar with. For example, there’s a subplot involving Karina’s thesis which involves her advisor (I think is what they call them in America?) expecting her to wear floral skirts and him give blowjobs. To me, and I recognise I’m not really in position to have much insight into this, it’s just a little too ... much? Not the sexual harassment, but the fact the sexual harassment was so extreme, and coupled with this very literal “women should wear floral skirts” misogyny. But then academia is messed up, so who the heck knows? I think it was because the book is quite subtle with the rest of its explorations of power and gender, the fact these scenes are so blatant is a little jarring. And I felt while they were perhaps necessary to contrast against Karina’s choices with James (i.e. that sexual submission is not inherently disempowering and anti-feminist) it felt like a rather blunt instrument.

Also there’s an evil older ex in the final third of the book, who I was expecting to challenge the wicked witch stereotype that seems so prevalent in B&HF. Except ... that doesn’t happen. Slow Surrender is the first book in a trilogy so perhaps wicked witch is in the queue for later, but the book is otherwise so committed to exploring and re-shaping the tropes of B&HF I was genuinely a bit shocked when that one hit me in the face. But, basically, my only real niggle with the book was connected to its seriesness. I’ll discuss that in a moment, but it’ll contain spoilers so, if you’ve made it this far and don’t want to know how things end, look away. Or rather, go and buy this book right now, whether you like B&HF or not. I’m not a natural erotic romance reader (I get embarrassed) but it’s sexy, fun, romantic and clever. What more could you want?

Okay, on to the niggle! A major part of my pleasure in Slow Surrender was the consistent sensibleness of the protagonists. They talk a lot, they resolve issues when they come up, they generally respect each other, and behave in a rational way. Except at the very end. When he’s a twonk. So, James has refused to give Karina his name or any clues about his true identity throughout the book, and she’s made a choice to go along with it because she’s a grown up and can, therefore, make grown up decisions. James has also refused to have PIV sex with her, but that’s part of their mutually-consented-to sex game. The climax (of the book) takes place at a Cinderella-ey kink ball, where they’re finally going to bonk. On the brink of, err, you know, Karina insists that James tell her his name, because they’re in love and this is getting silly now, or there will be No Entry. He tells her, they have awesome sex, he cries, then runs away and leaves her. Because who he is A Big Deal and she has, like, violated his identity or set him an ultimatum. Or whatever, man, whatever.

Now, okay, in his defence, just before you put your dick inside someone is a really, really bad time to be asked anything apart from “can you put your dick in me now.” So, yes, that was non-ideal behaviour on Karina’s part. But, on his part? Jesus. He’d been so Not A Wanker for the whole book, I felt genuinely betrayed. What’s worse is that he’s left his chauffeur to take Karina home, and they end up discussing “what she’s done” as if she’s the one to blame here. A big theme in the book is the idea of either / or choices. As James says:

Life’s full of people who want to split everything into either/ or, when in reality so often and would serve them better.

The thing is, I agree with this sentiment, but Karina concludes that James running out on her like a complete weasel is her fault for essentially making their sex games and the possibility of a relationship into an either / or instead of an and. But, the way I see it, James has made his whole identity an either / or (the game OR his name) and then throws a wobbly when Karina fights for her right to and. Which makes you, Mr James Spoiler Name Redacted Spoiler, a goddamn hypocrite. And I am very, very cross with you right now. Partially I blame the trilogy requirement of the B&HF subgenre but it was still an irritating end to an otherwise bloody awesome book. However, given that it is a trilogy, there’s an extent to which this isn’t a fair criticism. And likely I will be eating my hat and looking sheepish when I’ve read the second one.

Which I will absolutely be doing, by the way.

[Jeanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Part of what I hate about scales and measures of media is that it treats content and our experiences of it like a magic equation that somehow makes poorly developed characters or plot not as bad Because Reason. [insert hand waving here]

That makes about as much sense as truly believing that the “negative” calories in a diet soda are going to cancel out the candy bar and bag of potato chips you had for lunch. Calories and storytelling don’t work that way. Even if it did, this story has a lot of saturated fat weighing it down. Yeah, that metaphor got away from me.

Anyhoodle, Slow Surrender tells the story of a mild-mannered grad student, Karina, and her sexy adventures with the mysterious rich dude, James. Their kinky adventures are the framework from which the meat of a Romantic fairy tale hangs.

Oh my god, Jeanne. What is with the food metaphors? (I’m sick and high on cold medication.)

When I initially started reading this book I had forgotten that it was written as a response to Fifty Shades of Grey. The author has explicitly said as such in various interviews. Even without remembering it, I saw that intention quite clearly in the text. Much to my disappointment. It’s not that I have an issue with people trying to fix that garbage fire, I write and read fan fiction after all. What was bothering me was that there is a distinct sense of condescension in the way this is written.

There are sections that read almost like a lecture on the right way to view or enjoy BDSM, D/s play. Like the characters over-explain things to each other in casual situations. It was so out of place and out of character it almost felt comical. While often it was Karina explaining, so it didn’t come off as Jame lecturing her, it still felt forced and pulled me out of the story.

This didn’t just happen with sex and BDSM. There are mini-lectures on feminism, sexual harassment, and rape. The really upsetting bit about the discussion of rape, is the conversation basically ends with both characters EXCUSING DATE RAPE because “he was just so ridiculous and sad, it was embarrassing (for him).” I WISH I WAS JOKING ABOUT THAT PART!

This is even more disturbing considering prior to this discussion, Karina’s advisor attempts to coerce her into sex in exchange for helping her graduate. The scene is framed as very horrific and Karina is obviously traumatized. It’s not fully addressed or resolved (kind of) until James gets involved. Because it took a man to make it better. [insert angry mumbling and eye rolling here]

Sexual abuse is handled very poorly in this book, which again is common in a lot of BDSM Erotica/Romance, but that doesn’t make it acceptable. For me personally, I feel it greatly undermines any strides toward sex positivity the book is trying to make. Even if the excusing of the date rape wasn’t in the book, the fact that one the major source of dramatic conflict is sexual abuse feels like a lazy cliche. He’s the bad kind of sex. Meanwhile BDSM is the good kind of sex. It makes an argument that seems to only function for people who don’t know, understand, or much like kink. Honestly, fuck those people.

There is also a shit ton of slut and anti-sex worker shaming. While that is SUPER common in a lot of Romance and Erotica, especially stuff aimed at cishet women. It succeeded in making all the well intentions “right way to do BDSM” lectures look hypocritical and even more condescending.

I discussed this bit with a friend, who was familiar with the book and the rest of the author’s work, and we both suspect that the slut/sexwork shaming was there for audience expectations. That’s absolute a fair assessment and a much bigger issue than just this book, but and that’s with a big ol’ B.

If the intention was to give fans of Fifty Shades a better BDSM book, the inclusions of slut/sexwork shaming undo any good work that the book does, because it’s still reinforcing misogyny and rape culture. That’s pretty much everything in the Con column.

Let’s get to the Pros. The sex and BDSM scenes are masterfully written. I am talking it will leave you weak in the knees. There are amazing scenes where the concept of consent is so perfectly demonstrated, but not mentioned, it made me gasp. Seriously, from a technical standpoint this book is a master class in how to write extremely sexy scenes where both people are fully clothed and ten feet away from each other.

I will likely continue with this series just for the sex scenes, but that’s not a much of a Pro in my book. If anything it’s like fast forwarding through the dialogue in a porno to get to sex. Because that’s the only thing worth your time.

If you really need a star rating:

5 stars for fantastic sex scenes
-2 stars for rape apologist bullshit
-2 slut/sexwork shaming
Final total 1 star

There you go.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to begin? Okay, let's start with the fact that this is Not a complete story. It is book length but has a cliff hanger ending which I personally don't like. That being said, Slow Surrender was a dark and creepy story. I could not believe the things our heroine, Karina, allowed to be done to her by a total stranger. Where is your self respect, girl? Even if Karina is rebelling against being considered a girly, girl by any man. To totally put yourself in the hands of a virtual stranger seems to be suicidal. Let me back up, Karina is filling in as a waitress for her sister at the bar her sister owns, when our hero enters. She feels a pull toward this man immediately and when he asks her to reach in his pocket and remove a marble, then place the marble inside her panties. Then go and get him another drink with the marble in place, red flags went off in my head. And I'm like, hello, he's a pervert, move on. But alas, Ms Tans story would not have been. From there, it just got more creepy to me. Sex, though not really, because he (James), declared that she had to earn his cock, happened in the back of his limousine and in hotel rooms. Hot and heavy foreplay where he inserts all kinds of glass dildos inside of her and she has to keep them in until he can remove them. Spankings with his hands and crops and plenty of ropes and bondage and (exposure of her body for others to see and spank publicly) all work up to her earning his cock. There's a problem with all of this heated sexual play, the fact that she still does not know his real name, though I guessed right from the beginning. A huge sign of how clueless this woman is. Toward the end, he takes her to this mansion which turns out to be some sort of BDSM sex club. Again, they are on display as he finally consents to bless her with the gift of his lovemaking but only after she forces him to reveal his name to her. They have earth shaking sex, then he leaves her there on the bed without a word, still partially tied up. He's in tears and half crazed for whatever reason. (Guess we have to buy the next book!) I felt nothing but disgust for James. He was a total ass, although he prettied it up for the young and clueless Karina, who says she felt safe with him and cared for. I would just like to forget these two losers, so I'll end this review with this note. Unless you enjoy a woman who is terminally stupid while she's being totally mind f*cked and lovin it, do not waste your time.

[Lady Raven RAVE! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story: GOOD
Intimacy Level: GOOD + Sex-citingly FUN
Enjoyment: FAIR
Length: 3246 kindle
Style: Contemporary Erotica

I like this story but yet found myself a bit torn, and torn because of my personal taste. This book started out interesting for for me and lighted a fire within the first few scenes. The beginning of the story with the diner scene where Karina and James first interacted with each other, left me wanting more. Karina is a student, looking to graduate and James is your typical guy with money and demands sex his way by pushing you to discover yourself. The chemistry between both characters were that of curious, mysterious guy finds and is attracted to sexually playful and curious girl. James was way too mysterious with the names given to him, but he was still interesting and was a turn on for me sometimes throughout the story. Karina, her character was a tiny bit annoying with the situations she finds herself in, but it kind of worked well with Jame's character depending on your taste of characters and story's progress. Sexually, both characters entertain me so I didn't feel bored.

As I continued to read, I found the story to be like every other story I have been reading within the past year. I have read a lot of books over the years and have seen the same concepts used and reused and I have no problem with that and it never gets old to me. This cliche concept, I have read a lot lately, however, what keeps my interest, is how the author puts her spin on a reused concept. For me, this story felt no different than most books, so for me, I like the story but I wasn't excited enough about the story and it didn't stand out from the rest.

Of course, there was a cliff hanger, not sure how much more cliff hangers I can take, but there is one. Overall, and ok read for me, but needed more of a spark within the story line.

[Lucy Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very HOT and unexpected. This one is going on the read again shelf for sure! Worth the read!!! I was the winner of this wonderful book on Goodreads First Reads. I will be recommending it to my friends!

[BRNTerri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. Truly Awful. I honestly forced myself to finish this. There's not one part of this story that I liked. James is a mysterious stranger who is instantly attracted to 26 year old grad student Karina Casper. They meet at a bar, where she's filling in for a friend. At first she thought he was 40ish, then 34, but his age wasn't given. He's got blond hair and green eyes. They begin a sexual affair that night that consists mostly of dildos and him preforming oral sex on her, often in the back of a limo. There's only one scene of actual penile/vaginal penetration.

James tells her who he really is, James Byron LeStrange, a famous reclusive artist who goes by the name J.B. Lester, and the real BS comes at the end when Karina finds out he's also another famous person, a singer who her roommate Becky just happens to have a crush on. I'd guessed that before Karina did. Could a story get anymore absurd than this?! Though there's this mystique surrounding James I just found him to be bland. He ran off crying at the end and it was the biggest WTF moment of the book.

Karina and her 26 year old roommate are both annoying and seem immature to me. Becky calls her Rina and Karina calls her Becks. Both are always saying, 'Oh, jeez' and the Asian-American Becky is always eating rice (she was two out of three times.) Karina is the type of woman I can't stand- one who blabs all of her personal sexual business to her friends an she told Becky everything at the end. Another thing that bugged the crap out of me about Karina is this- Stefan is a foreign man who drives her around everywhere in a limo or some other type of car, at James' request. She becomes friends with him, wonders about his accent yet never once asks the man where he's from. I just can't understand that. Karina has a horrible habit of ending some of her answers with a question mark. Example: James asks her why she wants to take the dildo home with her. She replies, 'Um, because I miss you when we're apart and it'll make me feel like I have a piece of you with me?'.

I didn't care a thing for either James or Karina. Though the sex was graphic it did nothing for me. There's not one interesting sex scene. Because I strongly dislike Karina I couldn't like this book and I won't be reading the sequel nor will I read anything from this author again.

I don't understand why this is called Slow Surrender. No one was slow to surrender anything. The story spanned three or four weeks.

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Shauni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking for that edgy dark seduction that we fell for in 50 Shades of Grey? Slow Surrender slips seductively into sensation and holds a dark promise of passion. Cecila Tan follows into Ms James into the edgy side of passion and gives us another intriguing look into those who dare to live out their fantasies.

Karina is the girl who has spent most of her life trying to make her family happy. A solid support for her sister, a "perfect" daughter for her needy clinging mother and yes the kind of room mate that offers up the bedroom in their one bedroom apt. Only trouble is she is standing on the brink and not sure if she should jump.. and if she does will she land. She is this close to finishing grad school, although her mother is constantly harping on her choices.. Karina has never really fought for herself. So it's no wonder when she meets an interesting man at her sister's bar she is intrigued. There is just something different about this man.


James is dark, daring and dangerous.. a man who captures a woman's attention and if he wants it, never lets go. He is a force to be reckoned with and yet is strangely vulnerable. It seems he has been used in the past, taken advantage of.. so he is cautious in his choices. And yet once he meets Karina he is the one captivated.

James keeps Karina in the dark, barely offering her a name for her to call him and yet he slowly manages to sneak past her defenses and find ways to gather her close to him. Dominating, yes.. but still a man who appreciates a woman. He encourages Karina to decide what she wants to do and become the best she can at it. All the while, helping her delve into her darker side. Teaching her how her sensuality can be brought to the front in some very interesting circumstances.

Yes, I compared this book to 50 because it does have some similarities.. it is the first book in a trilogy and also written in the first person. Something I think that manages to give this book an almost gothic feel to it. It promotes the edginess, the darkness and yet offers moments of innocence A woman learning her sensual side. In a way the entire book is a tease.. a slow buildup to culmination. Ms Tan gave this book the perfect name... slow surrender.. One of those things where each step takes Karina further along the path. Each decision teases her into wanting more.

What would you do? I have to wonder.. If I knew there was something I was missing, if I knew there was something out there. That I was soooo close I could touch it. Would I take the chance when it was offered? Would I take that first step? Would You? Karina is everywoman... At least all of the women I know. Intelligent, pretty, socially aware, educated but has family issues, good lord I think I KNOW her mother, issues with men, professors, life in general. Yet she chooses to take a step to discovery..

Check out this book, although I will say book two isn't coming out until Janauary 2014 and you might just want to throw the book at the wall when you realize that.. Just like the promise of a slow seduction Ms Tan seduces the reader as well. She does not offer us closer in this book rather takes up right to the edge of the cliff... then stops..

Take the time to be seduced and read Slow Seduction..

Shauni

This review is based on the ARC of Slow Surrender provided by netgalley

[Nicola Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cinderella story is a classic fairy tale that lends itself particularly well to retellings in a variety of genres; perhaps too much so, considering how many romance novels use the "poor girl meets rich man, loses him, then gains him again after a search" trope. With that in mind, Cecilia Tan takes the familiar fairy tale and turns it on its head, reimagining it as a grand, lush erotic romance set in New York. Slow Surrender follows the developing relationship between Karina, a fine art grad student who is more familiar with the pre-Raphaelites than what she wants from life, and James, a handsome, mysterious businessman with issues of his own and a taste for sensual BDSM.

No, this is not 50 Shades Yet Again. For one thing, Karina is intelligent, quirky, and has a backbone and no inner goddess. And James is a sexual sadist with a heart of glass and a secret past -- emotionally fragile as he is intensely dominant, he's as much the Cinderella character as Karina is. Their courtship is deliciously kinky as well as emotionally satisfying, and you'll be rooting for both of them to find their happy ever after together.

The question is, will they? I warn you, this is a trilogy (don't blame the author -- that was a publishing decision, not hers) and ends on a cliffhanger. But with a story as captivating and well-written as Slow Surrender, you'll love the agony of waiting for the next installment.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book was beyond expectations (maybe a 4.5 but I rounded up to 5). An early reviewer on Amazon had said that it was what 50 Shades should have been and, of course, I took that with a grain of salt since every author or reviewer says that. But, you know what, that reviewer was almost correct. Actually the writing was really better, the main characters much more believable and especially the female who was witty and very strong in her own way. I liked her a lot. The only drawback was I think she fell into the BDSM (pretty light version) a little too quickly with maybe not as much thought as she should have. Also, I think almost every reader will figure out who the male lead really is before it is "officially" revealed, but that didn't detract at all from the story.

Overall it kept my interest throughout and I couldn't wait to get to the conclusion, even though I unfortunately already knew it would be a cliffhanger and at least one more book would be coming (I usually avoid cliffhangers). But,I am really looking forward to book #2 and the rest of the story. Thank you Cecilia Tan!!

[Cuir · Rating 4 out of 5]

By a writer who really knows quite a lot about bdsm, not the 50 silly things that are being said in most books recently, the first in a new series about Karina and a man with a lot of secrets and talents. If this were just a story about Karina's discovery of consensual, seductive play and recreational sex it would be hot and a good read. But it's also a story about a woman who has to negotiate with the real world in real terms: her mother's lectures on femininity, boyfriends and marriage, the sexual trials of naive teenage girls and college students, and Karina's own efforts to confront the nasty ultimatums that male gatekeepers can demand of women seeking a degree or a career.

[Suzyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a much better writer's answer to Fifty Shades of Gray that manages to be the same sort of book, written better. Notably, the sex scenes are very individual to the book, reveal the characters and advance the plot. Cecilia Tan has always known what she's doing in her erotica and this book is no exception. That said, it doesn't transcend the conventions of the romance genre as much as I wish it had. There's a predictability to it that was a little disappointing.

Still, well worth the read.

[Wollstonecrafthomegirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, here's a tale, which may say more about me than this book.

I have been reading this, on and off and not really enjoying it too much. The billionaire dom/impoverished Magic Vagina Girl who makes him realise what love is: rather played out. I've read a lot of them and, at this point, it will take some special writing to pull me back. This book didn't have that writing. So, I wasn't giving up, but I was reading other things and coming back to this periodically.

This evening, I went through my Kindle back catalogue to download some of the books I read before GRs and wanted to reread and review.

And, low and behold: Slow Surrender.

Reader, I HAVE READ THIS BOOK BEFORE.

I got to 92% (not the end, incidentally) and I have highlights and notes and everything.

At no point during the (second) reading of this did I, at any point, recall I had, in fact, read it before. I didn't even suspect it.

So, I'm giving myself a pass on nearly finishing it a second time. Apparently it wasn't good enough last time to make even a measure of an impression, let alone a good one. And this time I was bored. DNF.

The author should forgive me though because, apparently I have bought her book twice. [good catch Amazon, really, *slow clap*, great work, top, top notch]

[Divas BookBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get comfy in your glass slippers and enjoy, ladies! This book from beginning to end was an excitingly erotic ride. Cecilia Tan captivated us right from the start with her different and enticing book, Slow Surrender.

Karina Casper is a hard working grad student who has a run in with a mysterious and attractive stranger in the midst of the final Lord Lightning concert frenzy who immediately pushes her sexual lines to new limits beyond her wildest dreams. Feeling strangely comfortable with the man she knows nothing about (and only knows by his assumed name, James) she agrees to explore different games he sets forth for her. From a simple marble to exhibitionism, Karina and James find their growing attraction and feelings for each other harder to ignore. The one thing that stands in their way is James’ true identity. Will Karina push too far and push him away or will he slowly surrender to her and his feelings?

Slow Surrender left us craving more and we cannot wait for the sequel Slow Seduction to be released in January 2014. The Divas give this book 4 out of 5 champagne glasses!

[SaturNalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A kinky retelling of the Cinderella tale, with a mysterious hero and spunky heroine. Karina is waitressing when she meets James at a bar. Their first interaction is a prelude for the rest of the book. They play a seemingly innocent game with a marble. As the story progresses the games become kinkier. I liked Karina, she was straightforward, open about her wants and honest. James is a mystery, at the end of the book some information is revealed about him. James introduces Karina to many new experiances and feelings, the sexual tension is unbelievably hot between them. He teases her constantly but treats her like a queen. I liked that most about James, he made sure Karina felt good and beautiful. In addition to all the sexy times, the emotional bond between them grew. Exhibitionism is not my favorite, neither is including others in their sex play, and there were some strange games they played that made me do a duble take, but over all I really enjoyed the story. Ended on a cliffhanger, I can't wait till the next book.

[M. Todd Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having a snow day off from work allowed me to read this in one sitting. My only complaint is that it is a relatively short novel, and now I have to wait for the second in the series! Since I am probably the first reviewer, I'm going to make the inevitable comparison: This novel is 50 Shades of Grey written by a capable writer who knows how to convey erotic experience. Plucky grad student and part-time waitress meets mysterious stranger with a hint of British accent and a really big hint of wealth. Banter, erotic games, sex, and increasing romantic involvement ensue. This is *not* your typical male dom/female sub scenario--it's something far more witty and complex, a unique game between two individuals in which the stakes get higher and higher with each round. I highly and unequivocally recommend this.

[Deshone Hollis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what book these people was reading when they compared it to FSOG or Crossfire. Heck I don't know what book they was reading when they said it was a good or great read. I hate giving bad reviews because I feel that any author or person brave enough to put out any book and have other people judge it should be awarded. So I want to start off by saying that I applaud the author and maybe its just not a book for everyone. Maybe you will pick it and love it. Me on the other hand... It was a serious waste of my time. There was no depth in the story. No true plot or conflict. This book was just sex and not even good sex. Much of the time the main male came off creepy not sexy. This book is just awful point blank. I do not recommend the book if I could I wouldn't even give it a star maybe half of one for effort.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow is anyone feeling hot hot hot. as I am after reading this book of James and karina. karina was standing in at her sister bar for a girl who was unwell and that is where she met a sexy man who wanted to play games and games they definitely played. James was hiding a secret and karina didn't no what but the more games they played the more she found out about him and slowly began to fall in love with him bit then after a night of fun and passion things went wrong. I usually hate cliffhangers but after reading what book two will be like and other people's reviews I think I might stay at book one as I don't want to destroy thing smoking hot bubble I am in after reading this book. xx

[♡B♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it from the get go! I think in reality it would be awesome to have some rich guy come and invite me to play this little game with them haha.

Okay let me start off by saying I am getting really tired of EVERY BDSM book being compared to fifty shades! Fifty shades is NOT BDSM, yes there is kink but a Dom he was not! SO please can everyone STOP holding fifty shades up to this high standard that it really shouldn't be held to. This book was good on its own merit! I did not once think of fifty when reading it, it wasn't until I was getting ready to mark it down as read on goodreads did I see the fifty references. There really isn't any 'Master' or 'Sir' stuff going on. He just likes to be in control. The only way one can make comparisons would be the millionaire man with a naive girl. So if that is what you are looking for this has that!

There is so much to this story.

He is very secretive about who he is. There is a dark edginess to him that drew me in immediately but at the same time he is very confident in who he is as a man. That in itself is attractive. I have to say that some of the things he had her do were beyond hot! I couldn't put this one down I wanted to know what was next. I wanted to know what he was going to have her do next. She is new to all this and has come to realize that she has been missing out on and wants more.

You get to go on this fun little journey where she gets a taste of domination, and finds out that she enjoys it more than she probably should.

"Every girl dreams she'll be the one who catches his eye, who catches his heart.

Do any of them dream of being the one who's caught?"

I have always been a huge fan of BDSM books because of the power exchange the dominant having it, the submissive giving up control. It always has been my favorite genre of books. For the most part it probably is because of moments like this...

"...when I'm with him, all the attention is on me. It's all about my needs, my desires. I'm the one who gets off. He said I'm going to have to earn the privilege of his cock."

Who wouldn't want to read this??

I am looking forward to the next one! And the ending...yeah there were a few twists that were thrown in there for good measure and well had me completely at a loss. I wasn't sure exactly what happened or why, but will find out hopefully in the next book.

The title of the book holds true. If you are expecting this to go fast and get right to the sex between the two of them then you will not enjoy this one. It takes time for him to get her where he wants her oh the build up and anticipation!

To end it all...This is a girl who does things with a stranger, a man she doesn't even know his name. So if something like that would drive you nuts than this might not be for you. That and there IS a cliffhanger at the end of this one. I know some do not enjoy them but I do from time to time.

[Reanell Tisdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Incredible Stars


I received a copy of Slow Surrender through Net Galley and Forever(Grand Central Publishing) in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. Yes it has the "fantasy" aspect to it because it has the "connect at first meeting," but it worked in this case. I couldn't put this one down once I started. I've seen this compared to 50 Shades of Grey and other works related to the BDSM scene, but this one is so different. Yes it has the filthy rich man, (James) who snags a poor woman(Karina) and he has a secretive life, but that's as far as the similarities go.

Cecilia has a way to make the sex(or no sex) scenes work that is so different from what I've read in other BDSM books. It all starts with a game involving a marble, yes you read that right, a marble. You will not be able to look at a marble the same way again after reading this book.

James tells Karina she has to earn the privilege to see his cock, and at first I was skeptical because come on what guy gets a girl off several times and doesn't want anything in return? But he kept his word and seemed genuine in wanting to pleasure Karina.

He sends Karina to a spa, and I can only ask "where the hell can I find a spa like that?" He knows the person at the spa and Karina gets treated to a shave and then is introduced to a glass dildo, A DILDO! This leads to a very hot scene indeed!

James and Karina are enjoying each other immensely but soon feelings are involved and things get serious. I wasn't expecting what came next, and it sucks that that is how the book ended. It's not really a cliff hanger but yet it leaves you wanting so much more.

Some of my favorite lines:

"Good. Now if you really desire this"-he hefted his own package in his slacks-"get down on your knees and kiss it."

"I make educated guesses. the thing is, they are so busy making their assumptions that now of them will guess the truth." "The truth?" "That I am, as we speak, already fucking you right in front of them."


Slow Surrender comes highly recommended by me to anybody who likes the BDSM and bondage.





Cecilia Tan

[Averin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The game is very simple. I ask you to do something and you do it.”
Karina is an Art History graduate student without a firm goal as to what to do with her education. Against the backdrop of the last concert of a legendary musical performer’s career, she meets the mysterious male protagonist while temporarily filling in at a restaurant her sister manages. The night’s tribulations also include her new thesis advisor and a man with whom she recently had a job interview. While avoiding the other two men downstairs, the handsome, lone man upstairs begins a kinky flirtation. From there, an unconventional relationship forms and builds right alongside the other big deal in Karina’s life, graduation.
Even though I’m a fan of this author since her Blue Moon/Masquerade days as well as a religious reader of her web serial Daron’s Guitar Chronicles, I wasn’t sure what to expect when she announced this project. This genre has resulted in a few gems and many duds. In human history, completely new storytelling ended thousands of years ago. Instead, writers build and re-tool tales of those who came before. If you are going to complain about originality, get in line behind the hausfrau who gave the Brothers Grimm Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. The protagonist’s secret identity was obvious to me early on; I think, more from a familiarity with her work and not a shortfall in foreshadowing.
Two things I really did not like: first, everyone, including the female protagonist blames her for the aftermath when she demands honesty. Oh he’s so fragile, bull! She is an underemployed graduate student trying to get her act together, he knows everything about her and possesses, literally everything including access to therapy. The second thing I didn’t like is that the sequel does not come out for a year! Highly recommended.

[Devin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books just stuns me! I read about 3-4 books a week and I come across some duds. But sometimes I find a book that I just want to continuously read, a book, that when I'm in a land of trashy books with spelling errors and unbelievable changes of heart, I need to go read my favorite part to cleanse my brain! That is exactly what Slow Surrender is! Not only did I love the story, but I loved the characters and the build up. It was worth every penny and minute I put into reading it. If you're not into great erotic/romantic fiction maybe this book isn't for you, but if you understand the genre and want your mind blown THIS IS FOR YOU! Now please release Slow Seduction! My heart can't handle the pressure ;)

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, love the characters. The end killed me!!! Can't wait for the next book.

[C. Shell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it. I wish there was a more emotional connection between the two but if nothing else the sexual connection was hot.

[Shelly Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it, but I wish I'd known there would be a cliff hanger and the next book won't be out for a year.

[Chris Robison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to try an erotic novel. The story is meh, It’s fine if you are just in it for the spicy stuff, though I got bored of that as the book went on and found it less thrilling.

[Ilana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overview

He pushes her sexual boundaries . . .

From the moment waitress Karina meets him in a New York bar, she knows James is different. Daring. Dominating. Though he hides his true identity from her, the mysterious, wealthy businessman anticipates her every desire and fulfills her secret fantasies. Awakened by his touch, Karina discovers a wild side she hadn't known existed and nothing is off limits.

She aches for more . . .

What begins as an erotic game soon escalates to a power play that blurs the line between pleasure and pain. Even as she capitulates to James's sensual demands, Karina craves more. She wants his heart, his soul. She wants his love . . . and she'll break all the rules to get it.

My Thoughts

WOW - i really enjoyed this story - that's for sure. I think that Cecelia Tan hit a home run with this series debut for sure. We first meet Karina our female lead when she's filling in for another waitress at her sister's bar (at least her sister's the manager at a bar) on the night of a final concert for Lord Lightining who is supposed to be this AMAZING pop culture icon that people are fanatical about and have no idea who he really is since he wears a mask. so on this night, Karina is in the bar working, tending to many of the Lord's Ladies who are there for drinks after the final concert and she spies her thesis adviser walking in which is a huge problem since she cancelled her meeting with him with the excuse of being sick so that she could help her sister out.

This drives Karina upstairs where her life changes for ever. She intercepts a handsome well dressed man at the hostess stand and takes him to a table upstairs so she can hide. It's this meeting with this stranger that turns her world upside down in a good way. Karina feels a chemistry with him from the beginning and he draws her into a 'game' of sorts to see what she's willing to do outside of her norm, in the hopes of both pleasing him and herself.

Throughout this story, we're given very little insight to who James is (since we're not even sure what his name is) - we just know that he has this privacy that he keeps and an identity that he's trying to keep hidden. We also know that Karina is taking all these new chances through the game of his because she feels emotions and stirrings that she's never felt before.

We're taking on quite a hot and steamy journey with these 2 and it's really quite interesting to see the games that James plays with her and how far he'll try to push her. the ending leaves us at quite a cliff hanger. I do have to say though that i had one thing sorted out from the very beginning, but it's not really off-putting since i think that there's definitely much more to the story aside from that item that makes you want to keep reading.

My questions for book 2

1) What's going to happen to Karina and James?

2) Will we ever know the truth about James?

3) will Karina graduate? does it even matter anymore?

4) What's the deal with Lucinda, and should we be concerned?

can't wait for the next installment - that's for sure!

[The Lusty Literate · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars | Ultra Steamy

While genuinely different and solidly written, I found this dark and loveless erotic tale difficult to ingest and enjoy.

James, the poorly shrouded and tortured hero, is a spineless coward. He is weak and afraid to the point of low social function. When he does surface in public, it’s only to lure and seduce a new submissive to manipulate, control and expend. Naive, yet willing, Karina finds sexual satisfaction and adventure in their uneven arrangement. Personally, I failed to see any beauty worth celebrating in such a murky and unbalanced carnal-centric connection, further waning any investment I was garnering from this peculiar romance.

And the sex! Or I should say the lack of sex! For an erotic novel, the glaring absence of actual and frequent toe curling penetration sex was a disappointing discovery. Instead, there is a ridiculous arsenal of sex toys, foreign objects and props utilized for pleasure. These various items grew increasingly odd and were consistently poor substitutes for the real thing.

Finally, and most confounding, was that Karina falls in love during all of this unseemly madness. How can anyone fall for a man whose extreme, alternative tastes prevent him and anyone else close to him from living a normal, open, loving and fulfilling life? Sure, James is feeling something too. It's called crippling vulnerability- not love. Sorry Karina. He’s not just tragic he’s toxic. Let that creepy guy go.

[MT931 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Several things in this fiction book really bothered me. 1. The main character Karina - was she living under a rock? She was absolutely annoying. Living in New York and she jump into a stranger's limo. 2. Her comment about her not putting on make up, fixing her hair, wearing skirts, blah blah blah would end up her getting into trouble?!?!? 3. She is 26 years old and she has never worn a skirt and worn heels before but she will wear a ball gown, a tiara, have her hair done and wear make-up for a billionaire stranger who she doesn't know his name, what he does for a living or if he is married with children. A guy who she has had several sexual encounters. Ughhh

I can't enjoy a book with annoying main characters. A retiring mask rock star who had never revealed his identity, has trust issues, into BDSM, enjoys toying with Karina.... and then drops her at the end. Just because she knows his name.

[PJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh, I read this so long ago! I can't believe the sequel STILL isn't out. That said, it says it will be out this month, fingers crossed. Do I still care? Yea, I still do. Though, if this is a trilogy and we have to wait ANOTHER year for the last book, I will be seriously PISSED!

[I.J. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The seduction was slow, but my heart was racing...

A must read!